Release that Witch

Spear "touched" the edge of the metal in disbelief, which was her unique way of sensing magic power. As soon as the pa.s.sage was connected, she could see, touch, and even smell the magic powers of witches, as if she were entering their bodies.

Hard and cold, the surface was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting every detail of the tentacle-shaped thread. When the antenna-like cord of energy reached the cube, it swiftly bounced back.

"Relax." Marquess comforted her. "They"re harmless." She wasn"t sure whether her ability could affect this metallic cube since Anna"s magic power seemed unable to flow.

After trying a few times, the antenna finally stuck to the cube.

But there was no transmission of magic power.

"What"s going on?" Nightingale noticed something was wrong.

"I"ve never... transported magic power of this kind. It"s too ma.s.sive and doesn"t look like the air that can be transferred." Spear felt her throat dry. "As soon as the channel is connected, the magic power should have been absorbed by the "pivot"."

"I"ll try to charge it with magic power." Anna suddenly spoke. "The same way as using the Sigil of G.o.d"s Will."

"Be careful not to expend too much each time." His Highness nodded.

What was the Sigil of G.o.d"s Will? Spear found that she"d heard several new terms since she came to this little town.

As she was pondering, the magic power in Anna"s body suddenly transformed.

The perfect mirror was broken, and the surface of the metal rippled. The liquid without light rushed into the pipe and then became a floating ball as if pushed by something.

She then felt some weight.

Different from the cyclone of magic power, the liquid was very heavy. As it flew into the pivot, it was like putting in chunks of iron ingot. Spear found that she was consuming an increasing amount of magic power.

It was rather unbelievable. Prior to this, she could easily exhibit her abilities for half a day. Now at this rate, she might not be able to last a few hours.

Out of desperation, she drew out another cord from the pivot, connected it with her own body, and sustained the channel using Anna"s magic power.

When the light ball was full, the metal cube in Anna"s body was still in its original form, as if the magic power it lost was only a very insignificant portion.

Spear really wanted to take back what she had just said. She coughed twice. "Hem... now the channel can supply enough magic power for Miss Mystery Moon. What do we do next?"

"Stick to it." His Highness Roland handed Mystery Moon a copper cylinder. "Now show us what you can do."

"Ok." Mystery Moon took a deep breath, held the copper object in her hands, and closed her eyes.

All of a sudden, the Magic Power began to flow furiously.

Spear saw that the metal cube in Anna"s body gleamed, the fluid in the pivot came out, and filled again; the entire channel kept on trembling. It looked as if it would be torn apart by the turbulent magic power. The Marquess had sweat on her forehead. She felt as if she was standing in front of a tsunami.

On the other side, Mystery Moon had a frowned forehead and red cheeks. Obviously, she was also under the impact of the fierce waves. But considering Spear was the one transferring the power, Mystery Moon must be under tremendous impact. Even so, she didn"t stop using her abilities, and the rapidly consumed magic power was the proof.

These girls were monsters!

Spear didn"t know how she managed to last to the end. When the magic power in Anna"s body was drained, Spear felt she could barely stand on her own feet.

"Fi... finished." Mystery Moon opened her eyes and excitingly held up the copper cylinder. "I made it!"

"Well done." Roland carefully clamped the copper object with a pair of wooden tongs, as if it was a red-hot iron.

"What"s this?" the Marquess asked. "It looks exactly the same as before."

"A strong magnet with ever changing magnetic force," the prince replied. "I don"t know whether it"ll form an access with the earth while being held in a person"s hand. If so, it would discharge. So we"d better be cautious."

Spear blinked her eyes. "What?"

Nightingale smiled. "Don"t mind them. This is such a topic that only Anna can partic.i.p.ate in."

"Then... what can it be used for?"

"Let"s try it out." Roland put the copper cylinder into a black iron machine standing in the middle of the yard. Judging from the silhouette of the machine, it looked like a giant iron tube. It had a wooden pedestal at the bottom. An iron pole as thick as an arm stuck out from the middle. The prince looked at Mystery Moon. "Turn on the switch. If it works, it"ll bring a whole new source of power to the town."

Mystery Moon nodded. She held the wooden handle on the machine and pulled it downward with effort.

Sparks burst out from the downside of her hands, making a crackling sound. To Spear"s surprise, the iron pole in the middle began to rotate rapidly. The pole must have been as heavy as one or two people. How could it rotate so fast?

"Have we... succeeded?"

"Not yet." The prince found a chair and sat on it. "It depends on how long it can work."

Spear noticed there was something glittering in Roland"s eyes as he looked at the plain rough iron machine. It was as if he was looking at a piece of s.h.i.+ning jewelry.

*******************

Three days later, Roland pushed open the door to the backyard of the North Slope Mountain. Upon hearing the sound, Anna stopped her work and rushed to greet Roland. She couldn"t conceal her excitement. "It"s still working."

There was no need for her remark though. The prince also heard the noise made by the operating electric motor. To him, this noise was almost as euphonious as the sounds of nature. Because it meant that the variable magnetic core cylinder, being filled with Mystery Moon"s magic power, was still operating properly. As a whole new power source, it had shown its practical use.

Roland came to the center of the yard and saw that Mystery Moon was sitting beside the electric motor. With her hands on her chin, she looked at the black machine, feeling bored. "Your Highness, when you said my abilities are full of potential, did you mean this thing ? It doesn"t look any different from a steam engine."

"This is only the first step to change the world," Roland said beaming. "You"ll be able to see what changes it can bring to our little town soon enough."

Every step forward in the history of the human race was related to the utilization of energy. To some extent it could be used to measure the level of a civilization"s advancement. From steam to electricity, from electricity to nuclear, the breakthrough in energy would usually boost the industrial production. The variable magnetic core cylinder filled with Mystery Moon"s magic power was such a kind of new energy. It resembled a super large battery and transformed magic power into electric energy. Its small manufacture scale limited its application, which meant it couldn"t lead to an energy reform. But as a supplement to the steam engine and internal combustion engine, it was still a perfect power source.

Besides, with the growth of Anna"s magic power, it still had the potential to be used in other areas. And when Leaf gained control of the Impa.s.sable Forest and obtained the ma.s.sive magic power supply, the potential was unimaginable.

"The name "variable magnetic core cylinder" is too long," Roland said, smiling. "Let"s call it Dawn I."